Watching a live stream of the East Hampton Town Board’s Tuesday meeting, I began to think about the tattletale impulse.
Bonnie Brady, who ran unsuccessfully for town board in the fall, had phoned in to make a point that people from lord-knows-where were making Montauk their weekend day-trip destination, putting residents at increased risk of the coronavirus. Ms. Brady, an ambulance volunteer, was concerned that these sunny-day visitors could be a significant added burden on emergency service personnel and the South Fork’s lone hospital in Southampton.
I, too, felt the urge to say something, perhaps to the cops. Like many others spending much of the lockdown crossing things off a project list, I had been outside working in the garden a lot during the weekend. Amagansett’s Cranberry Hole Road, where I live, is apparently widely thought of by motorcyclists as a scenic speedway, and I watched them rush by. Of course, I was far from alone. A friend who lives on Route 114 on North Haven said she noticed the motorcycles, too. “All weekend long!” she said.
Notably, I also watched a foursome of Porsche drivers who blew past at easily 90 miles per hour. I could have called the town police, but what would I have said, I wonder. And what could they have done, already busy with more critical matters.
Not everyone has resisted making reports. Police were called to a beach gathering of locals in Montauk recently; the group complied in dispersing. Other reports are coming in regularly about ordinary things, such as people walking on a sidewalk somewhat less than the recommended six feet apart.
I’ve seen that, too, but have not picked up the phone to rat them out — so far.